The score was 7-7 at halftime of Monday night’s Kansas City Chiefs-Washington Commanders game, but the road team was already down. Dan Quinn’s team missed opportunities to capitalize on Patrick Mahomes’ poorly run offense early and then stumbled in the second half, falling behind 28-7.
“I thought about it going into the game and early on, the energy, the juice and the speed I saw and I felt it right away when we stepped on the field,” Quinn said, via Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic. “That’s honestly what we’re looking for. Man, we left a lot of chances out there tonight. You can’t leave that many chances out there and expect to win, especially against this team.”
Washington moved the ball well on the opening drive, only to see a Marcus Mariota screen pass to Deebo Samuel slip out of the receiver’s hands for an interception in the red zone. The defense forced Mahomes into stops on the two ensuing drives, but both ended in turnovers on downs for the territory.
“That’s the story of the game to me,” Quinn said. “We have to take advantage [opportunities] when we get them there.”
Without Jayden Daniels (hamstring), the Chiefs offense struggled to move the ball in the second half, returning just four first downs. The seven points scored were the fewest under Quinn.
The Washington defense, which has been a sieve all season, made plays early, but a lack of consistent pressure on Mahomes ultimately broke them down, leading to three consecutive Chiefs touchdowns to open the game-opening second half.
Washington was outgained 432-260, allowing the Chiefs to go 2-of-2 on fourth down, 4-of-4 in the red zone and 2-of-2 in goal-to-go situations. KC didn’t have a thrice all night.
The blowout loss drops Washington to 3-5, well behind the 6-2 Eagles in the league. The Commanders currently sit 13th in the NFC.
Tight end Zach Ertz said Washington has to find consistency to stack up wins.
“It’s just too many ups and downs,” he said. “Just haven’t played consistently enough in all three phases of the game. Play one half really well and then the second half don’t play well. Play a game well in one phase, don’t play well in another. I thought we had a really good week of practice, to be honest, and I’m confident that if we can keep practicing the way we’re doing, it’s going to turn around. But the clock is obviously turning.”
The biggest tick is Daniel’s hamstring. Mariota wasn’t the reason for the loss, but the quarterback can’t overcome the pitfalls of a defense that struggles to get off the field for long periods of time.
“We’re in control of our destiny,” linebacker Bobby Wagner said. “The plays [that] are happening there are things we can change and plays we can make. Every game is big. You don’t want to dig yourself into a deeper hole.”
With games against the 5-2 Seahawks and 5-2 Lions on deck, that hole could get even deeper in two weeks.